Topic Contents

Quit-Smoking Programs

British Columbia Specific Information

The BC Smoking Cessation Program helps eligible B.C. residents stop smoking or using other tobacco products by assisting with the cost of smoking cessation prescription drugs or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products. For more information about the program, including how to get started, visit BC Smoking Cessation Program. For information about the health risks from smoking, tips on how to quit, an overview of smoking cessation aids, and more, see our Quit Smoking health feature. For more tools and resources to help you quit smoking and remain smoke-free, visit Quit Now.

Topic Overview

A good quit-smoking program can help a person quit smoking by providing support and encouragement. Programs are available for you to attend in-person, by telephone, or online (on the Internet). Look for a program that is led by someone who has had training in helping people quit smoking.

Better in-person smoking cessation programs:

Have at least 4 to 7 sessions that include
self-help materials and individual or group counselling.

Have
sessions that last at least 20 to 30 minutes.

Last at least a month
past your quit date. Some programs spend several weeks preparing for the quit
date. The program is often most useful after you have quit.

Telephone-based quit-smoking programs link callers to trained counsellors. These counsellors can help you put together a quit plan that is tailored to how you smoke, and they can also help you avoid common problems. This resource is available free of cost in all provinces. Talk with your doctor or visit the Canadian Cancer Society (www.cancer.ca) or Canadian Lung Association (www.lung.ca) website for more information.

Online quit-smoking programs may work for you if your schedule doesn't allow you to attend in-person programs. There are many programs, such as the one at www.smokefree.gov, that offer programs and resources to help you quit smoking.

Your local health unit or provincial lung association can recommend a program in your
area.

Change your quit date to match the program date. In many communities,
programs are only offered 2 to 3 times a year. Keep this in mind as you plan
your time line for quitting.

Avoid any program that promises to make quitting easy or that sounds
like it has the only answer or a "secret" method that works better than any
other method. There are no "magic bullets."

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